Three Takeaways: Gators Squander Late Lead Vs. Arkansas; Drop Must-Win Game

This game matched the theme of the Florida Gators season perfectly as it was characterized by “almost” and “what if.”

The Gators dropped a heartbreaking contest at home against the No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks, 82-74, on Tuesday night.

Playing for their postseason lives in each game to end the season, the loss is a tough pill to swallow for a team on the bubble.

Through the first 35 minutes of the contest, the Gators put themselves in a position to produce their second straight quadrant one victory in a row, a reality that would have catapulted them into territory for a March Madness berth.

However, unraveling offensively late in the second half, the Gators fell short of finishing the job.

Here are AllGators’ three takeaways from the loss that creates a dire need for UF to finish the regular season 3-0.

Scorers not named Colin Castleton were nonexistent down the stretch

The threshold for victory this season has been four scorers in double digits for the Gators.

Seeing Colin Castleton carry the load as the focal point of the half-court offense, yet again, to supply more than enough for Florida to succeed on Tuesday night, the Gators ultimately failed due to their struggle to realize more than one complimentary scorer with the big man's efforts.

Castleton, who played through the physicality Arkansas threw his way for all 40 minutes, played in a fashion that the Razorbacks had no answer for. Posting a career-high 29 points, the senior forward dominated in the post, giving Jaylin Williams and Kamani Johnson (in his limited time) fits on the interior.

Firmly controlling the paint on the offensive end, Castleton's presence reached a point where fouling was Arkansas' only option.

They hacked the Gators center 11 times total on the night, bolstering his strong night with 10 free throw attempts. He made nine.

However, to the dismay of Castleton and Gator Nation alike, his career night was overshadowed by the season-altering loss at home. Florida's inability to find substantiated scoring contributions from the remainder of the roster proved to be the difference.

Outside of Tyree Appleby – who rode a hot start of two triples within the first minute and a half of the game to a 19-point outing – and Castleton's combined 48 points, scoring came at a premium for other members of the roster.

Despite Phlandrous Fleming's valuable role as a rebounder on the night (which is highlighted in the next takeaway) Florida needed to see more than nine points from the small forward. Likewise, Myreon Jones' five assists played a role in keeping the Gators close, but the zero he posted in the points column of the state sheet – including missing two open corner three-pointers down five with under two minutes left in the second half – is a factor that played into the loss.

Anthony Duruji (8), Brandon McKissic (7) and Niels Lane (2) were the only others to add to the scoreboard out of the nine players White deployed onto the court.

Simply put, there's a pressing desire for more.

There isn't room to contend with the 18th-ranked team in the country – one that lands in the top 50 in the NCAA for points per game at 77.3 – without a strong supporting cast.

It's, statistically, a nearly impossible obstacle to overcome.

And it was.

Rebounding deficiency results game-deciding split on second chance points

When last season ended, the Florida roster experienced a mass exodus. Tasked with replacing six spots, the Gators targeted the transfer portal to equip itself with veteran that they could immediately plug in to play considerable minutes.

In those efforts, UF grabbed guards it believed could patch the hole left by Tre Mann from a scoring standpoint and improved long range shooters.

Obviously, per my last takeaway, that wasn’t the case.

However, in their decision to go guard-heavy, the Gators coaching staff neglected depth at the center position, a reality that grew increasingly evident when Jason Jitoboh went down in the first half on the road against Tennessee while Castleton was already sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Due to the lack of size and length, the Gators have been drastically outplayed on the glass this season. Against the Razorbacks, Florida only lost the the battle on the boards by eight, but the allowance of 16 second-chance points proved to be the difference — as Florida had just eight — in the game decided by eight points.

“I didn’t get as many rebounds as I should have,” Castleton — who came down with just six rebounds individually — said when asked about how he handled Arkansas physicality. “We did a horrible job on the glass as a team. They just bullied us.”

On the night, Florida’s leading rebounder was Fleming with eight. His efforts around the basket and chasing after loose balls were evident.

Unfortunately for Florida, the desire to attack the basketball off the glass wasn’t a team-wide priority.

“You can’t stress it more than we’re stressing it,” White said postgame. “Unfortunately we have not embraced pursuing the ball aggressively with two hands as much as a team like Arkansas [has].”

With a monumental regular-season finale against Kentucky on the horizon in just over a week, attacking the basket for rebounds will be an imperative adjustment with the nation’s best rebounder Oscar Tshiebwe looking to dominate the post once again.

“I know we got to get better,” White said.

Florida's getting pushed off the dance floor

Following an improbable victory inside Exactech Arena on Saturday against No. 2 Auburn, the Florida Gators climbed themselves back into contention for a March Madness berth.

The only stipulation: double up to knock off another top 25 team at home to end the season.

No. 18 Arkansas presented the best chance for the Gators to do so, but the second half crumble has further stacked the odds against them.

Unable to accomplish the mission, Florida’s chances to join field of 68 in the big dance is fading by the day.

The Gators have moved into Next Four Out territory in the latest bracketology breakdowns and their last opportunity seems to be their season finale against a national championship contender.

The last time the two teams played suggests that the Gators chances are bleak.

Coming up, Florida will have Georgia at home and Vanderbilt on the road before hosting Kentucky for a game that will decide the fate of Florida’s season barring an unforeseen run in the SEC Tournament.

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